CDTA service changes topic of public meeting in Albany

The hardships and other issues arising from the Capital District Transportation Authority’s decision to change or reduce some routes and to eliminate hundreds of bus stops will be the topic of a public meeting hosted by a group called Citizens for Public Transportation. The meeting will be held at the Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Ave., Albany, on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.

The reduction in the number of bus stops was an effort to reduce traffic interruptions and make the service more reliable, CDTA officials said at the time. But some riders complained of the longer walks to bus stops, particularly in areas outside the cities, where there often were no sidewalks.

The Citizens group also complained that some bus shelters and seating have been removed, making the wait for a bus more uncomfortable in bad weather. They also call for digital displays in bus shelters that would give updated information about how many minutes it would be until the next bus arrived. These systems are becoming more common in public transit systems worldwide.

A CDTA spokesperson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. The group said CDTA and elected officials would attend, and it said it had invited both U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko and former U.S. Rep. Michael McNulty, as well as Assemblyman John McEneny and Albany County Executive Michael Breslin. It wasn’t clear whether any of them had accepted.